She immediately did as he bid, which merely made him harder. He had enjoyed their chase, but now that he’d caught her, he had no desire to keep fighting. “You shouldn’t provoke your husband as you did this evening.”
“My husband left me no choice but to provoke him.” She saucily arched a brow again as she placed a hand on her hip.
“Your husband has tried to protect you from everything, including himself,” he bit out.
Her gaze softened. “You are the last person I need protection from.”
He snorted. “Bend over, and we’ll see how you feel about that after we’re done.”
Her brows drew together. “Bend over what?”
He grinned at her confusion. “My knees.”
She gawped at him, remaining where she stood. He reached up and pulled her down and over his knees before she realized what he was about. Once he put a hand on the small of her back, she started to struggle.
“Cease, Lizzy. You just proclaimed that I was the last person you needed protection from, and yet now, you are fighting me.”
She continued to wiggle and squirm around on his lap. He pressed more firmly on her back, and then he brought his other hand down on her bottom. When he made contact, she stopped moving. “You must learn I am not a man to be trifled with. You need this. I need this.” His voice turned husky as he landed the next blow. Then he paused long enough to pull the thin barrier of the night-rail up over her now pink bottom. He groaned as he ran a hand over the rosy flesh.
Her breath hitched in her chest, but she wasn’t crying, and she wasn’t struggling.
He landed four more spanks across her backside, watching it grow brighter and warmer to his touch. Then he slipped his fingers between her thighs and dipped into her slit to find her wet and warm. He couldn’t believe she was responding so well. Then he slid a finger inside her, and her breathing grew choppy. As he continued to work in and out of her body, her breathing became heavy, almost panting. His cock pulsed in time as he battled the urge to rub himself against her belly.
When he could take no more, he pulled her up and helped her stand between his knees. The lighting in the room was low, but he could clearly see the rosy blush of her nipples through the creamy, sheer cotton of her nightgown. Looking at the flimsy garment, he realized three pieces of ribbon held it together.
“My God, this thing is made of sin,” he breathed as he pulled the first ribbon at her left shoulder. The ribbons separated, and the material parted at her shoulder and fell to expose her breast. He bit his lip as he watched the silky flesh pucker tight. Then he leaned forward and lapped the bud with his tongue. A soft moan escaped her, driving him to pull the whole nub into his mouth. He sucked firmly, drawing her closer to him, and settled his hands on her waist. He drew and pulled until she arched into him, letting him roll the peak in his mouth. Then he let go, blowing a soft cool stream of air across the wet tip.
She gasped and flinched at the coolness.
Then he reached up and pulled the ribbon at her right shoulder and repeated everything on that side until she moaned and pushed her breast into his mouth as she bent backward over his arm. When he pulled back again, all that held the fabric on her body was the ribbon at her waist. Wanting her naked, but unwilling to let go of her, he leaned in and used his teeth to pull the end of the tie. Slowly he drew back until it all separated and slid down her legs into a gossamer pile at her feet.
“You are beautiful.” He breathed, feeling awed by the womanly bounty before him.
Lizzy’s face colored a fetching pink. “T-thank you.”
He reached down and opened his trousers. When he pulled his cock out, her breathing picked up again. All he could think of was being inside her, feeling her warmth wrapped around him. “I want you to straddle me and slide down on my cock.”
“I don’t understand.” She appeared confused and curious all at once.
He scooted back on the bed until his calves hit the side. “You’re going to ride me like a horse.”
Understanding lit her gaze as she climbed on the bed as he requested and straddled him. Then he aligned his cock with her opening and guided her down his length. He watched her face as she sat down. Her eyelids grew heavy, and he suspected that as tight as she still was, it had to feel as though he was splitting her in two. But she pressed on, gamely taking more and more until she fully sat on his cock.
His heart stuttered in his chest as he revelled in the heat of her. “Now, slide up and then back down.”
She nodded and pressed her hands to his shoulders as she did as he had bid. When she rose, it felt amazing. But when she slid back down, it was pure bliss. He was certain he would spill before he could see to her pleasure, so he put his hands on her hips and urged her to move faster. She followed his lead, picking up the pace. Soon she set her own rhythm, stopping at the bottom of the stroke to grind against his pelvis. He relished the way her breasts bounced, and her mouth hung open. Then he reached up and fisted his hand in her hair, pulling her head back as she rode him. She moaned softly, seemed to enjoy what they were doing, and a little spark of hope lit inside him, making him giddy. And when he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, she exploded around him in a series of breath-stealing spasms while he bit her hard nub and rolled it with his teeth.
As she returned to the moment, he lifted her off his cock and laid her on the bed. Then he toed off his boots and dropped his pants so he could climb up with her. Sliding between her thighs, he lifted her legs and pushed inside until his cock sank to the root inside her. Neither had said a word. Perhaps they each feared breaking the spell. Perhaps there were no words to be spoken. Then he pulled out and shoved back in. Over and over. She moaned as he filled her again and again. The need to own her body, to assert himself, took over, and he pulled out. With little effort, he flipped his wife over onto her hands and knees again and pushed in from behind. Her backside still glowed from his spanking, making his cock grow impossibly harder as he rubbed one cheek and then the other. He pulled back, gripping her hips tight as he pistoned into her, letting his balls slap against her. He groaned, loving the sleek feel of her wrapped around him as he pumped. Soon his own release was looming as he savored the tight clasp of her pussy and the soft cushion of her backside. Then his climax surged up from his balls and shook through his body until his legs nearly gave out as he slumped over her back.
He withdrew after a short recovery and went in search of a wet cloth. Then he returned and cleaned her up as well as himself. When he had finished, he tucked her in bed and climbed in beside her. Exhausted, he lay there and listened to her deep, even breaths as she fell asleep. All the while, he wondered what the hell he had done. How could he have fucked his wife in such a manner once more? This time, he kept his control. He was pretty certain. But next time, would that be the case? How long before he lost all control and truly hurt her? He worried about the answer.
~
Carlisle rolled over as a pesky ray of sunlight dared to invade his darkened bedchamber. When he looked over at where the beam splashed across his wife, horror rolled through him like a runaway locomotive. There, on her delicate white skin, he could see bruises. Four round marks on each of her hips from where he’d held on to her as he’d fucked her the night before. The contents of his stomach heaved as though it would demand an exit at any moment. He’d bruised his wife because of his attentions.
She was marked. By. Him.
He silently cursed as he rolled from the bed and grabbed for his robe, even as images of the night before assaulted him. The way he’d pulled her hair, the spanking, and ultimately the way he’d fucked her hard. He’d known this would happen. He’d tried to explain it to her. Help her understand he was a brute, no matter how courteous he could be at times. It was outside of enough. She’d strolled into his study and tempted him beyond reason. Had led him in a provocative chase to stir up his predatory instincts until she’d gotten what she wanted.
But she was not alone in her folly. No, he w
as as complicit as she was. More so, since he knew what he was capable of. He had been desperate to give in, had been filled with glee when she’d paraded about his study in a gown that amounted to nothing. He’d chosen to set aside his own good decision-making and listened to her and his own lust. And look what he’d reaped.
He shook his head.
“Get up, Lizzy.” He growled at her more roughly than he’d meant to, but he was angry at both of them.
She pushed up from the bed, still half asleep. She looked at him and blinked, bleary-eyed. “What is it, Carlisle?”
“Get. Up.” He fisted his hands at his sides.
She heard the urgency in his tone because she leapt up from the bed, but quickly realized she had nothing but her poor excuse for sleepwear to don.
He sighed. “Go get a bloody robe from your room.” He flung his hand toward the door that adjoined their rooms.
Looking confused, she dashed into her room and returned properly covered. Thank heavens. This conversation would be far easier with her body fully covered.
“What is the matter?” She strode to his side, placing a hand on his arm.
“What is the matter?” He shoved a hand through his hair. “The matter is that I awoke to find you covered in bruises that I have no one to blame for but myself.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I didn’t notice any bruises.”
He stepped back from her and turned away to walk a few paces. “How could you not see them? They are hideous. They so obviously point out that I manhandled you last night.”
He turned to face her and found her smiling softly at him. “Carlisle—”
“Do not placate me. I’ll have none of it. I hurt you last night.” He would brook no arguments from her.
Her lips pressed together, and she folded her arms across her chest. “You did not hurt me. At least not in any manner that was not welcomed.”
He continued to pace, moving away from her. Then turned back and walked toward her for a few steps. “I did things to you no husband should do to his wife. And look at your skin. The marks. No. I knew this would happen, that I couldn’t be trusted to make love to you as a husband should.” You’re a monster. The voice from his past echoed in his head, drowning out his wife.
“Now, wait just a moment. You did nothing I didn’t invite, that I didn’t ask for rather directly. This is nonsense you’re spouting.” She tried to step in his way, but he simply turned away from her to pace in the other direction. He felt caged in that room with her, not unlike a panther he once saw at the zoo.
“Absolutely not. This can never happen again. We shall return to how things were. I shall visit you at night, you will remain covered, and the lights will stay off. I shall do my duty and get an heir on you, but that is the extent of our marital relations.” He continued pacing and muttering to himself about knowing better.
She growled in frustration. “Do not do this, Carlisle. I refuse to go back to having half a marriage. I refuse to be a glorified housekeeper that you occasionally bed.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s the only way to keep you safe. And that is my primary responsibility. I should never have given in last night. Should never have…” He turned away, walked into his dressing room, and closed the door. There was nothing more to say to her, nothing more to explain. He’d made his decision. She would simply have to learn to live with it.
Chapter Eight
August 1859
Lizzy stood in Carlisle’s bedroom, trembling. He’d walked out on her. He’d made his declaration and then left her alone. The room wavered around her, as though the walls had suddenly liquified. Confused, she blinked hard, which caused a tear to slip down her cheek. Bloody hell, she was crying. Annoyed, she reached up and wiped her eyes with a jerky movement. She didn’t want to cry over the frustrating man. But he’d hurt her and made her angry. So bloody angry. He’d just tossed all of her efforts right into the dustbin.
Tears still sliding down her face, she tiptoed into her room, closed the adjoining door, and locked it. She then crossed over to her main chamber door and locked that as well. Finally, she crawled into her own bed and lay there, alone. At some point, she wasn’t sure when her tears and anger gave way to determination. She had told him she refused to continue with half a marriage. That she would not lay in the dark shrouded in cotton as he lay atop her. For heaven’s sake, she might as well lay a sheet over herself with a hole cut in it so he could do his husbandly duty!
No, better to retreat. If he looked to avoid her as assiduously as he had done before, he might even fail to notice her departure for a few days. She’d close her eyes for a few minutes. After all, she couldn’t leave until the staff arrived.
When she woke up, she blinked gritty eyes against the mid-morning sun. She obviously hadn’t slept well, but all would be right soon. She had a plan. Rising from her bed, she set about executing it. First, she pulled on her robe and went to the bedroom door and unlocked it. Then she set about organizing for her trip.
An hour later, Sarah appeared. Her dismay at finding most of Lizzy’s clothes strewn about the room was palpable. “My lady!”
“I know it appears I have thrown everything about, but I promise I have everything organized. If you’ll set my breakfast tray down over by the window, I shall eat. Meanwhile, if you could have the footmen bring up my trunks, I would appreciate it,” Lizzy instructed as she set another dress on a stack of dresses on her bed.
“Are you taking a trip, my lady?” Sarah asked, her face pinched.
“Indeed.” Lizzy went to the table where her breakfast now sat. “Please go get the footmen started. I wish to leave as soon as possible.” She took a sip of tea. “Oh, best send word to have the traveling coach brought around. If you’ll send up one of the maids, I shall oversee packing here until you have everything sorted downstairs for me to depart. “
Sarah’s eyes rounded. “Very well, my lady.” Then she curtsied and left Lizzy to continue her breakfast. A short while later, six footmen and two maids appeared with her trunks. And in a rather quick if a bit harried fashion, her belongings were packed. By the time Sarah appeared to finish things up, it was all but done. A few gowns still hung in her wardrobe. After all, she hoped it wouldn’t be a permanent move, but she prepared for a lengthy stay. She would not return to London until her husband came to his senses.
With Sarah’s assistance, she dressed in her dark blue traveling gown and made her way downstairs. She stopped at her escritoire long enough to dash off a brief note to Marie, letting her know their efforts had failed and she would be in the country for a few weeks. In the foyer, the footmen began removing her trunks from the house and loading them onto the coach. The housekeeper appeared distraught by this sudden turn of events. “My lady! What is all of this?”
“I am leaving for a while. I do not expect to return soon. If my husband is looking for me, he may find me at Carlisle Manor.” And with that, she sailed out of the house and into the coach.
It was a two-day drive to her husband’s country seat. Lizzy had never done something so bold before. This was more the province of her sister, Theo. But she knew her sister would do such a thing with great panache. So, she had endeavoured to do the same. With that in mind, she took the biggest and best room the coaching inn offered on her first night alone. She ordered a lavish dinner that failed to appeal, and then she went upstairs and promptly cried herself to sleep. She loved her ridiculous husband, but she would not remain in London and be subjected to his ridiculous whims.
By the afternoon of the second day, she was quite done in and regretted her precipitous departure. Perhaps she had been hasty in taking her leave. What if her husband had changed his mind after a good night’s sleep? What if he had seen reason and was looking for her so he could apologize? Doubt swamped her as the coach drew to a halt.
She poked her head out of the coach window and gasped at the beautiful manor house. There was a lovely grove of trees off to one side, leaving the rest of the meticulously manicured
grounds on display. As she climbed out of the coach, the butler and housekeeper came out of the house and greeted her. “I am Lady Carlisle, I apologize for not sending word, but this visit was unexpected.”
“Of course, my lady. We shall have your rooms ready shortly.” The gray-haired housekeeper curtsied and then bustled back inside the house.
The butler bowed to her. “May I give you a tour of the house?”
Lizzy practically wilted at the thought. “May we put that off until tomorrow? I am exhausted after the long trip and a restless night in a coaching inn filled with many strange noises.”
“Of course, my lady. I shall show you to the drawing room, where you may wait until your rooms are readied. Would you care for some refreshments while you wait?” He peered at her from behind small round spectacles that perched on his nose.
“A pot of tea would be lovely.” She offered a grateful smile and then followed him up the front steps and into the house. Inside, she found the foyer trimmed out in a dark mahogany that positively gleamed with polish and the late-day sun. She settled in a drawing room that captured a great deal of the afternoon sun. Now she simply had to wait. Or she could change her mind and return to London.
She imagined slinking back to town and sheepishly telling her husband that she had been wrong for haring off to the country. That was too much. She couldn’t do such a thing. She wouldn’t. Perhaps she wished she had stayed to speak with him one more time, but she made her decision. She would not backslide on it, not now. Two weeks. If he hadn’t turned up in two weeks, then she would consider returning. Until then, she would make herself acquainted with the staff and learn what she could about this property. She would not waste her time mooning over her wretch of a husband.
His Wanton Marchioness Page 5
